Viren new CEO at Kahawatte Plantations

Viren Ruberu has been appointed as the CEO and Director of Kahawatte Plantations Plc, with effect from 31 December 2012.

Previously he was the Deputy CEO.

Viren began his planting career in 1987 at Janatha Estate Development Board and joined Kahawatte Plantations in 1993 as an Assistant Manager and served the company for seven years in the capacity of Assistant Manager and Manager.

After a brief career with another plantation company from 2000 to 2002, Viren rejoined Kahawatte as Manager – Corporate Solutions in 2002.

He served the Company as Deputy General Manager – Low Country, General Manager – Low Country and Director – Plantations and was promoted as Deputy CEO in 2012. He hold a National Diploma in Plantation Management, a National Diploma in Human Resources Management (HRM), Postgraduate Diploma in HRM and is currently reading for a MBA in Human Resources Development.

Kahawatte Plantations also announced the appointment of Malinga Herman Gunaratne as an Independent Non Executive Director with effect from 11 December 2012.

Gunaratne is a proprietary planter. He was a senior plantation manager for Sterling Companies managed by George Steuart and Company having served the institution for 25 years.

After nationalisation of the estate sector, he was appointed Regional Manager/Chairman for Nuwara Eliya Region by the JEDB which managed 100,000 acres of the country’s best tea lands. Gunaratne also served as the Additional General Manager of a corporation falling under the purview of the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and as Chairman of Lanka Fabrics Corporation of the Ministry of Textile Industries.